Avatar: Soulful Remix
by Eliisea
Summary: My take on the last season of Avatar. Zuko is conflicted because of his betrayal of Iroh, and focusing on the romantic elements ranging from Maiko, Jinko, Zutara, Sukka, Tokka, Kataang and Taang. You find out what happens next.


The crowd roared excitedly as a steady line of men marched triumphantly through the narrow street. Thousands of people gathered around, throwing streamers into the air while some excitedly lit firecrackers with the tips of their fingers. There was great rejoicing and celebration on the return of the Prince and the Princess. Many jumped up and down to see if they could catch a glimpse of their royalty, but the veil of the carrier let any one see little but a brief silhouette.

The prince looked to his side and pushed a finger through the veil. A crack of light shot into the carrier and a roar of applause followed it. He quickly retracted his hand. Looking up, he met the eyes of his sister, Princess Azula. She smiled and pushed her hand out the carrier and waved. Another roar of applause and cheers echoed from the crowd as she moved her hand back into the dimly lit space.

"Brother," Azula said, "you seem troubled."

The Prince sighed and placed his head on his hand, keeping his face stoic but the sadness in him refused to leave it. "I'm fine." He managed to say, looking down at his feet. He noticed now that his feet seemed to be the common place to find the answers to his questions as of late.

A weak smile formed on her face and she gave a little sigh. "Zuko. Tonight we feast! Tonight we will celebrate your return to the Fire Nation. Aren't you excited at all?" Azula cried, beaming in delight. However, Zuko's facial expression failed to change, and once again the carriage was left silent. "If you are upset because of Uncle, I'm telling you now—don't be. Iroh was a traitor. But Zuko, you are not a traitor. Look at me."

Slowly, the prince perked his head up to meet his sister's face. She was smiling and the gold in her eyes seemed to sparkle like flames in a fire. It was very seldom that he ever saw his sister so happy, let alone genuinely happy. But he was most surprised at the amount of sibling friendliness she had shown him ever since he had turned on his Uncle to help the fall of Ba Sing Se...a city that he that had been home for a long while.

"Come on Zuzu, aren't you excited to be finally eating proper food again? Not that disgusting garbage that you must've had to eat in that wretched city?" Azula asked, pushing a strand of her hair back.

"It wasn't garbage, sometimes...it was nice." Zuko began, suddenly remembering his night out with Jin. He smiled faintly at the memories of his first night out with a girl. He looked to his sister, who had acknowledged his sudden change in expression with a smile. He quickly reverted to his firm, passive state.

"Oh, and I'm sure you'll be happy to know that you'll be able to see her again."

Zuko looked up, "Her?" Knowing that Azula knew nothing about Jin, he questioned who she could've been talking about.

"Mai. Ty Lee tells me that Mai's been passively excited about seeing you."

He snorted, "How can anyone be passive and excited?"

Azula smiled and leaned back, "Have you forgotten Mai already?"

* * *

It was morning and the sun had just begun to make a crack in the dark sky. Speckles of red lined the bottom of the horizon as a washed out blue spread itself across the sky slowly but surely. It had been a long night, and there had been a lot of worry that filled the hearts of the water bender Katara, her brother Sokka, and their earth bending friend Toph. 

Aang had been sleeping for a long while. As much as Katara could count, it was reaching almost the end of two weeks. Night after night she spent with him, massaging her hands on the scar that the powerful fire bending princess Azula had given him. All of this happened without Aang even noticing. The others had all been concerned about the Avatar's health. Though gruff on the exterior, Toph softened whenever she'd walk in on one of Katara's healing sessions. And the night before was no different.

As the morning came, the water bender's eyes fluttered open with the rising sun. She let out out a quiet yawn and pushed away her blankets. Toph was still asleep, as was her snoring brother Sokka. Sometimes she'd wake up in the middle of the night, thinking Toph had started "sleep bending" rocks, to only find out her brother was snoring louder than an Air Bison...and even Appa wasn't so bad.

Slowly, she got up and walked to Aang's tent. Pushing past the curtain, she found that he was still sleeping soundly as he'd been for weeks. She knelt down at his side and touched his cheek. It was warm. She fancied herself much like her mother now. Many a time, she could recall moments where her mother would sing her softly to sleep, nurse her illnesses, and sleep next to her while singing a lullaby.

"Nnn."

Katara looked down and noticed that Aang was stirring. She moved back a little and watched the little air bender writhe around on his sheets before slowly opening his eyes. She smiled and pushed her long hair back.

"K-Katara?" Aang asked, pushing his hand forward at the moving blue blur.

"That'd be me Aang." She replied, her voice chiming with music.

"Thank goodness." he replied, yawning. "I'm glad I got to wake up beside you."

She smiled, "You have no idea."

"Wait," he said, suddenly turning to her, "where's Azula?"

"She's...she's gone." Katara replied, shuffling around a bit.

"What do you mean 'gone'? And what about Zuko?" Aang asked again, worrying about where the princess may have been and the state of Ba Sing Se.

"He's gone Aang. I-I don't want to talk about Zuko." Katara softly remembered the memories of her brief time with Zuko. She had felt a connection to him through the loss of their mothers, and had genuinely believed him to be telling the truth. Even now, she imagined that he wasn't lying when he told her that he'd lost his mother. But she could have never predicted that he would've betrayed his uncle, even if she hadn't known him well, his uncle was a good man. From what she had heard from Toph, Zuko's uncle had saved him and herself. A conflict arose in her as what to believe about the fire prince and she didn't think it necessary to burden herself with thoughts that didn't concern her. It was his business after all, and it was her business to accompany Aang to defeat the Fire Lord.

"Where are we?" Aang asked, scratching his head. He noticed something different in the way his finger touched his scalp, but he paid no mind to it as he put his hand down.

"We're in the forest."

"Oh, good." He replied.

"Of the Fire Nation."

"What?!" he exclaimed, suddenly fully animated. He rushed outside to scan his surroundings but was only greeted by the surprised faces of Sokka, Toph and...a new guy?

"Um, who are you?" Aang asked, pointing at the stranger dressed in green and gold. He deduced that this man was probably wealthy, judging by the type of clothing he was wearing. In fact, he was probably so wealthy—he was royalty! He thought, chuckling to himself.

Katara followed behind him and raised a brow, "Um Aang, that's the King of the Earth Kingdom. I...would've guessed you remembered...but it's been a long time I suppose."

The Earth king jauntily smiled and waved excitedly at Aang. Sokka briefly nodded and went back to eating a strange mysterious thing he had caught in the woods, while Toph smiled and went back to lying down on the ground.

"Glad to see you're up." Toph said, looking up at Aang.

"Uh yeah, sorry guys. I didn't think I'd be the one to wake up last for a change but...I suppose everything has it's firsts am I right?" he replied, looking to Katara for reassurance.

Katara reaffirmed him by smiling, but quickly made a node that he probably didn't know he had been out for two weeks. She sighed, it was probably better to not tell him unless he asked. There was no need to worry him about the time they had lost while he was recovering. He would only feel guilty and it wasn't right for Aang to cloud his mind with more worry when he hadn't even learned to fire bend. She shuddered again at her own anxiousness.

"We're in the fire nation now, so we'll have to take cover." Sokka said, getting up suddenly.

"Hold your horses prince charming, let's just eat breakfast first." Toph replied sarcastically, pulling herself up.

"For your information Toph, I've been eating breakfast while all you slow pokes were dozing off, lying down or just...being...the king of the earth kingdom." He said, awkwardly pointing at the Earth King who was still smiling of course.

"Sokka, do you even know what you've been eating?" Toph asked, raising a brow.

"Yes of course I do! It's this special plant herb thing that makes people get better when you eat it in the morning" he screamed.

The blind girl smirked, "You are definitely lying—but you wouldn't need my powers to know that wouldn't you?"

* * *

When the carrier arrived at the castle, prince Zuko and his sister princess Azula stepped out before a courtyard of soldiers. The soldiers stood at the ready, while one stepped before the siblings. He took off his helmet and smiled. 

"Prince Zuko, we are excited at your long last return to the Fire Nation. Princess Azula, we are honoured to be in your presence again. Your father awaits both of you in the throne room." The soldier proclaimed.

Zuko shifted his weight a bit, and started to feel uneasy. He was disappointed that he had not yet apprehended the avatar like he had promised to do so—to restore his honour. He feared the consequences his father would bestow upon him. Possibly another scar? His anxiety about the matter almost broke him, but his sister put her hand on his shoulder and nodded understandingly.

"Don't worry about father Zuko. He is proud of you." Azula assured, pushing Zuko forward.

As they entered the throne room, Zuko's anxiety did nothing but worsen. He looked around the castle and realized that what he had called home for all his life, seemed hollow and dark now. He had grown accustomed to the earthy smell of Ba Sing Se, while the castle in comparison was dark and smelled of burning charcoal.

"My son," a voice loudly proclaimed. It boomed loudly against the pillars in the chamber until you could feel the walls shake because of it, "you have returned."

Nervously, Zuko managed to stand upright and answer his father accordingly. "Yes father, I have returned."

Lord Ozai turned to his children and nodded briefly, "I see you do not come with the avatar." He noted, looking at his son with the side of his eyes.

Azula stepped forward and pushed Zuko aside, "Oh but father, Zuko helped us and succeeded in apprehending Iroh—the traitor."

Ozai nodded in agreement and looked to Zuko, "This is good news Zuko, it's the best I've heard from you in a long time. You are both dismissed."

As they exited the hall, Zuko looked to his sister in despondency, "Father still thinks nothing of me."

His sister shook his head, "Zuko, this is the first of many victories for you. You are on the path to achievement. You are on the path to gaining father's love! Is that not enough?"

He nodded hesitantly, "I must train, and work hard...to earn his love further. I must have father's love."

* * *

Zuko had changed into his formal clothes, and reluctantly tied his hair into a top knot. Top knots were to show status and honour, where as he did not feel he had any. He breathed out a sigh and slowly walked out of his room. When he looked up, he noticed there was a girl standing in front of him. He smiled, "Mai?" 

Blushing, Mai nodded and met Zuko's gaze. "It has been a while, prince Zuko."

He nodded, "That is has."

Together, they both walked down the winding corridors that lead to the dining hall. They spoke softly and quietly but spoke loud enough to hear each other. Zuko could tell that Mai was a little shy around him, but he paid no mind to the massive amount of blood that rushed to her face whenever she looked at him.

Suddenly, Zuko halted in the hallway in the midst of their walk. Confused, Mai turned around and looked at him. "Zuko?"

"Mai, can I ask you something?" he started, faintly smiling.

Her cheeks turned bright red on her pale skin as she nodded quickly.

"Do...do you think that Iroh is a traitor?"

The girl looked down in thought, then looked back up at him, "I haven't given it much thought to be honest." She shuffled around for a bit, as they both stood in silence. When she looked at Zuko, she noticed that he was looking down at his feet. She knew it well...looking at your feet for answers but finding nothing but dirt.

"Zuko." She began, almost involuntarily.

His head jolted up, "Yes?"

"I-I-I have something to ask you too." She replied, taking a large breath.

"Of course." Zuko replied, surprised at what she might have wanted to ask him.

"Will...will you be my escort to my sixteenth birthday celebration."

"Mai, I..."

"I know that it's quick to ask once you've come back but I'd really like for you to be my escort and it's coming up very soon and I'd just really like for you to be with me on my birthday so please consider and if not that's okay but please keep it in mind." Mai said, barely breathing now. She had spoken so fast and with so little line breakings that she was sure Zuko would think her strange. She panicked and looked at him, her pale face almost the colour of wine.

He smiled, "I-I'd love to."

"Oh. Well...thank you." Mai replied, forcing herself to return to her passive state.

"No problem, I'd...I'd love to escort you." Zuko said, his face turning slightly pink. Now that he was back in the Fire Nation, Zuko had to go back to who he used to be...a prince and what good would a future Fire Lord be if there was not a Lady by his side? He thought carefully at how important it was to keep up with his title as prince. His thoughts wandered to Jin but he wondered, if he would ever see her again...and even if he did what would she think of him? _She doesn't know me, _he decided finally. _And if she did, she'd hate me all the same. They don't li__ke Fire Benders, what would she__ think about the son of the one who is ruling them al__l_But then his thoughts carried to the girl he had met in the cave, the Avatar's friend. Suddenly he realized that he had forgotten to ask for her name. He had heard it many a time, but forgotten quickly after and yet now he was starting to wonder who she was. Shaking his head, he looked to Mai. She was not beautiful like his mother or cute like Jin but there was a sense of nobility in her that he admired. She was strong but elegant and very much a lady even if she wasn't the prettiest girl, but what good could beauty do for him now? He extended his arm to Mai, and bowed humbly.

"Um, what's this?" Mai asked, slightly confused at Zuko's gesture.

"Your arm, Mai. We, we have a lot of catching up to do."

Smiling, she took his arm and they proceeded down the hallway, talking and smiling as they had before.


End file.
